12:59 PM, January 10, 2013

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson returns to work nearly three months after his August 10 car crash, at the Executive Office Building in Waterford, Mich., on Oct. 30, 2012. / KATHLEEN GALLIGAN/Detroit Free Press

Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

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Criminal charges were dropped this morning against a Royal Oak man accused of injuring Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and his driver in an August car crash.

Instead, Anthony Prainito, 31, received a civil infraction that carries a $125 fine.

Prainito had faced three misdemeanor charges in the Aug. 10 crash that severely injured Patterson, 73, and his driver, James Cram. Prainito was scheduled to go on trial Friday, but appeared for a last minute hearing before 52nd District Court Judge Lisa Asadoorian today.

Prosecutors then dropped the charges in exchange for Prainito’s agreement to plead to the much less serious civil infraction. He also pleaded guilty to not wearing a seat belt, a $65 fine.

Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper said her office had no choice but to offer the plea deal, in light of Patterson and Cram’s refusal to release their medical records. Under Michigan law, witnesses in accidents who do not turn over such records can’t testify.

“We weren’t getting cooperation,” she said. “He’s got the right to not release his records but we were getting two different versions of how extensive they were, and now the public will never know.”

Police have said Patterson was in his Chrysler 300 with Cram behind the wheel, traveling east on Walton Boulevard on Aug. 10. As they entered the intersection of Opdyke, Prainito — traveling westbound on Walton — turned into the intersection on a yellow blinking light.

Patterson was hospitalized for several weeks, as was Cram. Neither was wearing a seat belt; Patterson was ticketed and paid a fine.

Oakland County spokesman William Mullan declined to provide details of Cram’s ongoing recovery, citing his family’s wishes and privacy laws. He said Patterson continued to do well on the road to recovery.

“Since Thanksgiving, he’s been in the office five days a week and keep a pretty full schedule, along with two hours of physical therapy every day,” Mullan said. “He’s looking forward to where the physical therapy will take him.”